The Swan Thieves
3 journalers for this copy...
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Received this kind RABCK in the mail on Thursday. Thank you, espeteroh! I loved Kostova's first book and look forward to seeing if this one is just as good.
It took me forever to read this book, but I don't think it is the fault of the author or the story, which I found engrossing. I've just been in a bit of a reading lull lately - I've been nurturing my passion for crosswords in my spare time instead.
I finished The Swan Thieves today and would certainly recommend it. Like The Historian, it is an involved, richly detailed story. Kostova has a knack for making fictional characters, particularly fictional historical characters, seem so believable as to fool me. I have to admit to Googling Thomas Gilbert so I could take a gander at the controversial Leda and the Swan painting, only to find that he is an artist the author invented! That's a bit embarrassing and shows the shallowness of my knowledge of art, but it also illustrates how convincing Kostova can be.
I very much enjoyed the parallel stories, and the parallels between the stories, of the 19th and 20th-21st century characters. I cannot explain my main criticism of the novel without giving spoilers. Suffice it to say, the ending was a bit abrupt and unsatisfactory to me, after the wonderful detail and complexity of the story up to that point. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining read and I will continue to watch for more from this author!
Thank you again, espeteroh, for the generous RABCK. I'll mark this available until I find a suitable release for it.
I finished The Swan Thieves today and would certainly recommend it. Like The Historian, it is an involved, richly detailed story. Kostova has a knack for making fictional characters, particularly fictional historical characters, seem so believable as to fool me. I have to admit to Googling Thomas Gilbert so I could take a gander at the controversial Leda and the Swan painting, only to find that he is an artist the author invented! That's a bit embarrassing and shows the shallowness of my knowledge of art, but it also illustrates how convincing Kostova can be.
I very much enjoyed the parallel stories, and the parallels between the stories, of the 19th and 20th-21st century characters. I cannot explain my main criticism of the novel without giving spoilers. Suffice it to say, the ending was a bit abrupt and unsatisfactory to me, after the wonderful detail and complexity of the story up to that point. Nevertheless, this was an entertaining read and I will continue to watch for more from this author!
Thank you again, espeteroh, for the generous RABCK. I'll mark this available until I find a suitable release for it.
Sending to tobysrus as a surprise RABCK. Hope you enjoy! (Sent via media mail.)
Woo hoo! Received a surprise RABCK in the mail. I too loved "The Historian", thanks for thinking of me glade1. The funny thing is this book appears to have started off from Cambridge, MA and has returned to the same city. Small world! Looking forward to reading it!
